TN: After assurances, Karur MP Jothimani withdraws protest seeking camps for disabled

🔴 Taking to Twitter, Karur MP Jothimani said that she is withdrawing the protest as she has been assured that the camps will be organised. She thanked Chief Minister MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee leader KS Alagiri, Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru and others who stood alongside her in the protest.

By: Express Web Desk
Chennai | Updated: November 26, 2021 08:28 PM IST

4 min read

Karur MP S Jothimani. (Twitter/@Jothims)

Karur MP S Jothimani, who had been staging a dharna at the Karur district collector’s office seeking special camps for the disabled, has withdrawn her protest after she was assured by District Revenue officer M Leyakath and Revenue Divisional Officer NS Balasubramanian that she would be allowed to conduct the camp in Karur.

Along with her supporters, the MP began her sit-in protest on Thursday demanding that the collector allow her to conduct special camps to select beneficiaries who can receive assistive devices supplied by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO) for persons with disabilities.

Taking to Twitter, Jothimani said Friday that she is withdrawing the protest as she has been assured that the camps will be organised. She thanked Chief Minister MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee leader KS Alagiri, Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru and others who stood alongside her in the protest.

On Thursday noon, the MP had said she would move a privilege motion in Parliament for disallowing an elected MP from carrying out her duties to the people.

Earlier, the MP said she had sought approval from the Centre to conduct ALIMCO camps. “When Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli and Pudukkottai collectors conducted the camps, why was it not organised in Karur alone?” she had asked.

Jothimani had also shared a letter written by District Collector T Prabhu Shankar in response to her request to conduct the special camp. In the letter, the collector said there was no delay as alleged by the MP and that they were unable to conduct the camps earlier due to Covid-19 restrictions and later due to mega vaccination camps.

He said based on the directives of the Tamil Nadu government, they are planning to conduct the special camps in all blocks and the MP would be intimated regarding this. He added that, if required, steps would be taken to conduct ALIMCO special camps as per the MP’s request.

“I have personally visited 6300 out of 6800 village (sic) in my constituency. I was shocked by thousands of differently abled people who have sought our assistance. Will I ask for a camp if there was no need? On what basis is the collector not conducting the camps?” Jothimani had tweeted Thursday.

She said whether it is a central scheme or state government scheme, they are funded using taxes collected from the people and asked the collector on which basis did he decide that the scheme was not needed for Karur.

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Jothimani also wrote to Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, pointing out that if proper advertising campaigns are held at least 8,000-10,000 persons with disabilities will participate in the special camps from the four Assembly constituencies in Karur, and asked whether assistive devices can be provided to all of them with the state government’s funds alone.

Alleging that the district collector is corrupt, Jothimani had said that she will not leave the place until the district administration announces the dates on which these camps would be conducted.

On Thursday, the collector Shankar took to Twitter and said, “Truth alone triumphs”. Despite multiple attempts, he could not be reached for comment.

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